1. When using mounting strips, do not place strips directly next to the artwork. There should be space provided for the expansion and contraction caused by the changed in humidity and temperature.
2. Mounting strips on the bottom of the work should be place in a way to allow the art to rest upon it in the proper location in the matte.
3. The plastic tabs may be cut shorter to accommodate the size of the art.
Mounting Strips
1. Mounting strips should be folded in the following way –
5. After ensuring the art will be properly showing through the matte, secure the ends of the mounting strips with non-acidic tape. Pattern it after the following layout –
Pendulum Mounts
1. The purpose for the pendulum mount is to allow give. This means the mount is designed to rip rather than the artwork in the event the piece is dropped or receives any other type of shock.
To make the mount do the following -
a. Make a fold in the paper at the width of ½ to 5/8th inch in thickness.
b. Use a thin, wet brush and follow down the crease of the paper.
c. Tear the paper at the crease.
d. This method will create a feathery edge along the sides of the paper strips.
e. The feathery edges will add strength to the join when glue is applied.
f. When applying glue, use blotter paper and a dry brush.
g. It is best to practice using the glue on a similar material before applying the glue to the art work.
h. If the glue is not applied well enough, the art will fall
i. If the glue is too wet, the dampness will cause wrinkles in the work.
j. After applying the glue, use the blotter paper to absorb the excess moisture from the joint.
k. The blotter paper should be flipped every minute or two for about fifteen minutes.
Notes about Glues—Starch pastes are very good to use. It is strong and non-acidic. For these reasons it is safer than other types of glue. One of the disadvantages of the starch pastes is the need for it to be cooked before it can be ready for use. Another disadvantage is that the starch pastes have a relatively short shelf life of about a week of refrigerated and about a week if kept cool. This method has been used for hundreds of years because wheat starch paste creates a very strong bond that doesn't degrade with time. It is easily reversible with a dampened Q-tip
without damage to the art, even after decades. Hinging with wheat starch paste is very easy to do, and the results are well worth the extra effort.
Methocydlylose is another type of glue that can be used for mounting artwork. It comes in a powder form and makes a good glue but is not the best that can be used. One of the advantages of the methocydlylose is that it will not go bad when stored.
Notes on Mulberry Paper–Mulberry paper is also known as Japanese rice paper. It comes in a variety of types and weights. It works well for hanging artwork for many reasons. The size and the heaviness will determine the amount of shock the Mulberry paper strips are able to endure before ripping occurs.
l. After applying the strips to the artwork – attach the mounting strips to the backboard using the following example –
Float Mounts
1. To build a float mount, start by measuring about ¼ of an inch down from the place where the artwork will be sitting.
2. Mark the edges of the artwork with posted notes on all sides and corners.
3. Remove the artwork but leave behind posted notes.
4. Measure in about ½ of an inch and draw a straight line. This will be where you make your cuts.
5. With the rice paper hinges in place on the artwork, use these to indicate where on the line you will need to make your cuts using a razor blade.
6. Make your cuts longer than the width of the paper strips.
7. Also ensure the distance between the top and the bottom of the cuts are about 1/8 inch apart.
8. This distance is best done by making two cuts along the line that are 1/8 inch apart and then cutting at the ends to remove the block.
9. The hinges will be placed through these holes and the tabs will be glued down and secured with
“T” joints.
Pedestal Mounts
Some Notes on Hinges - Try this quick test to see how important hinge strength is. Stick a piece of tape on the edge of a table and pull on the end of the tape straight out from the table. This is the “shear” mode, and it is very strong. Now fold the tape back over on itself and pull towards the center of the table. This is the “peel” mode, and it is very weak. Little rings of any tape squished between the art and the backing are in the ”peel” mode and will fail very easily. A pendant hinge is very strong because to overcome the bond you must “shear” the whole bond at once. A V hinge is set up in the “peel” mode and the bond is easily overcome. If you use V hinges at just the top of the art, any movement of the art, either up or down, will peel the hinges.
If you put two or more hinges on a watercolor and T them close to the edge of the watercolor, it will most likely cause buckling between the hinges with changes in humidity.
The simple answer is to T only one of the top (primary) hinges close to the edge of the watercolor and put the T's at the very tips of all the rest of the primary pendant hinges. This one close T will keep the watercolor aligned with the mat, left and right, while all the rest of the T’s at the top will have gravity helping to hold the art level. These long T'd pendant hinges will swing back and forth as the watercolor expands and contracts with changes in humidity. The chances of buckling between hinges is now greatly reduced.
When you have pendant hinges (shear) just at the top of a watercolor and someone picks up the frame and turns it sideways, the weight of the watercolor will swing downward and peel the hinge that is now near the bottom. This is the cause of most hinge failures, especially during shipping.